Between Heaven and Hell
by CJtheCregg
Summary: Luke steps in and takes charge, when circumstances make Lorelai unable to cope. L/L. Pairing for Rory undecided. For Noor: Cause damn girl, you can write ;)
1. Goodbye and Open Arms

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and unfortunately, didn't even write the first THREE chapters.  
  
A/N: I've taken over this fic for Noor (Sleeping Star). Due to personal reasons, she can no longer finish this particular fic, but look out for her other fics, and any other fantastic creations she throws out!  
  
I hope I've done her justice with the forth chapter, so if you've already read the first three, just skip straight to the 4th one!  
  
Chapter One: GOODBYE AND OPEN ARMS  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
"Ah, what a perfect end to the weekend. Mocking the most overrated love story in history." Lorelai grinned as she placed the video in the VCR.  
  
"I'll never let go, Jack, I'll never let go!" Rory cried, clutching her heart and melodramatically collapsing into the couch.  
  
"Enough said." Lorelai laughed as she joined Rory. "Scooch over, mini-me."  
  
"Aye-aye, captain." Rory made room for Lorelai and reached down for the bowl of popcorn resting on the ground by the couch before pulling a blanket over the both of them. "Popcorn?"  
  
Three hours later, Lorelai looked down to notice Rory fast asleep, her head on a pillow resting on Lorelai's lap. Yawning sleepily, she turned the TV off and gently placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table before she shook Rory in a gentle attempt to wake her up.  
  
"Rory, sweetie, the movie's finished." She whispered as Rory stirred.  
  
Rory looked up at her mom, mumbling incoherently as she shifted positions and promptly fell back asleep.  
  
"Ugh; difficult child." Lorelai muttered as she looked down at her sleeping daughter for a moment before shrugging to herself. "Two can play that game."  
  
She heavily leant her head back to sleep; but no more than five seconds had passed before a pattering noise brought her back to her senses.  
  
Groaning slightly, she forced one eye open and listened to the sound carefully before finding herself fully awake, a wide grin on her face.  
  
"Rory! Rory! Wake up! Can you hear that?!" she cried excitedly, shaking Rory again.  
  
"Wha.?" Rory clumsily sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.  
  
"Sshh, listen closely." Lorelai whispered in a voice full of anticipation.  
  
Rory sat still for a moment before scowling grumpily. "It's called rain, mom."  
  
"No no no, Rory; listen closer." Lorelai emphasized. "That sounds like.snow- rain!"  
  
Rory looked at her mom quizzically. "Snow-rain?"  
  
"Yes; rain that will ultimately lead to snow within the next 24 hours." Lorelai explained simply, her eyes shining. "I guarantee you that this time tomorrow; we will be in the middle of a winter wonderland!"  
  
"Uh huh." Rory nodded, unconvinced, as she let loose a big yawn.  
  
"Oh, ye of little faith." Lorelai scolded.  
  
"Mom, you seriously need to get some sleep." Rory muttered as she settled herself back down onto the couch, closing her eyes contentedly.  
  
"Says the person who is the result of the numbness in my legs for the past three hours!" Lorelai shot back, whining.  
  
"Fine," Rory said as she moved over a bit. "That better?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you." Lorelai smiled down at Rory as she stroked back some stray strands of hair from Rory's face.  
  
Rory smiled warmly, her eyes still closed. "Goodnight, mom. Love you."  
  
"Love you too, kid. Sweet dreams; and don't let the bed bugs bite." Lorelai replied quietly.  
  
"Mom?" Rory inquired almost inaudibly after a moment's silence.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We're on a couch. How did bed bugs suddenly get into the picture?" she asked bluntly, smirking.  
  
"Hush, child. You think too much."  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
"Well, well, well, will you look at that?" Rory waltzed into the kitchen the following morning clad in her Chilton uniform, opening the curtains victoriously. "No snow!"  
  
"Hey, I said 24 hours, not 8 hours!" Lorelai complained as she arose from her seat at the kitchen table to close the curtains again. "Give it time."  
  
"Yes, but, as much as I would love to continue this debate with you on whether or not it will snow, I have a debate on a more sophisticated subject matter waiting for me at school at eight." Rory said as she started jamming various books into her backpack.  
  
"Ugh, fine, leave me here." Lorelai sunk back down in her chair at the table before she pointed an accusing finger at Rory. "But I'm telling you now, it will snow."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes as she adjusted her bag onto her back. "Yes, mom. Whatever you say."  
  
"Rory, think fast!" Lorelai suddenly blurted.  
  
She looked up just in time to see a pair of keys being hurled right at her, which just managed to land safely in her hands.  
  
"What's this?" she inquired.  
  
"Take the car," Lorelai explained. "Just in case it snows while you're at school and you're allowed home early! And you and I both know that if you don't have a car you'll have to wait for your regular bus in the afternoon, which completely undermines the whole point of getting let off from school early from the snow."  
  
"Mom, for the last time, it's not going to snow; and even if it does, the ground won't hold it because it will be too wet from the rain." Rory sighed with exasperation as she threw the keys back to her mom. "And besides, you'll need the jeep to get to the inn anyway."  
  
"I'll just get a ride with Sookie." Lorelai said as she moved over to Rory, enclosing her daughter's fingers around the keys as she pushed her towards the door. "Now don't argue with the snow-rain; just go."  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Rory laughed as they reached the porch.  
  
"Bye mom." Rory reached up and gave Lorelai a big hug.  
  
"Bye sweets. Have a good day." Lorelai hugged Rory back tightly.  
  
Lorelai watched as Rory ran out into the rain and quickly hurried into the jeep, trying to stay as dry as possible.  
  
"And it's gonna snow, just wait and see!" she called after her.  
  
Rory poked her head out of the car window amusedly. "Bye mom, love ya!"  
  
"Love you too, kiddo." Lorelai whispered to herself as Rory began to pull out of the driveway.  
  
She shook her head, smiling, as she gradually made her way back inside.  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
Rory was gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were turning white. No later than ten minutes after she had left home, Lorelai's so-called 'snow rain' had begun coming down in heavy torrents, making driving conditions on the highway almost impossible.  
  
Squinting as she leaned forward in her seat, Rory desperately tried to see past the windscreen wipers that were thrashing wildly from side to side, as the rain continued to lash against her windscreen mercilessly, depriving her of any ability to see the road in front of her.  
  
Rory quickly glanced over at the digital clock on the car radio, her heart racing.  
  
8:02.  
  
She was already late; there was no way she could pull over and wait till the road conditions were a bit safer before she continued on into Hartford.  
  
Sighing heavily, Rory continued down the highway slowly and steadily. Another five minutes had passed, and the rain was showing no signs of letting up. More and more blinkers on the cars around her began to appear through the haze as the number of cars seeking refuge at the side of the road gradually began to increase.  
  
It was here that Rory realized she had no choice; she was going to have to pull over. Drawing in a shaky breath, she put her blinkers on and silently prayed that the cars around her would notice this indication. Behind her own anxious, heavy breathing and the rain, she was vaguely aware of the sounds of other cars as she slowly merged to the right of the road.  
  
But suddenly, the steady rhythm of the roaring engine in a nearby car started becoming too loud for her liking.and was getting louder at a rapid rate.  
  
Rory gasped in horror as a large red vehicle suddenly appeared through the haze and rain outside her window. Her own piercing scream slit through the deafening sound of the rain and windscreen wipers like a knife; but silence was quick to follow as the two cars came together with a sickening crunch, sending the smaller of them sliding across the slippery, wet roads until it was stopped heavily by a tree.  
  
In the sky, the sun began to let loose a couple of stray rays that shed some light on the terrifying sight it had just witnessed as scores of people rushed to the now unrecognizable jeep resting at the foot of the tree.  
  
But inside the jeep, there was nothing but darkness.  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
Okay guys sorry to leave you there, but it won't be long till my next update, the next chapter is already written!!! *feels very organized*  
  
You guys know the drill.drop me a line (or an idea for a title) in any reviews, and suggestions for the plot are more than welcome!!!  
  
And the more you review the sooner the next chapter (yes, I know, I'm shameless.) so give that little purplish-bluish looking button down there a small visit, he'd love to meet you!!! And maybe, after you review, you guys can hold hands and skip afterwards!!! (hehehe sound familiar?) 


	2. Always Invincible in my Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and unfortunately, didn't even write the first THREE chapters.  
  
Chapter Two: ALWAYS INVINCIBLE IN MY EYES  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
"Lorelai, honey, somehow I don't think staring out the window all day is going to increase the chances of it snowing." Sookie looked up from her soup just long enough to notice Lorelai still sitting at the window.  
  
"But I really need it to snow before tonight so I can rub it in Rory's face and gloat and carry on, and then hang it over her head forever!" Lorelai whined like a young child kept from opening its Christmas presents on Christmas morning.  
  
"Here, taste this." Sookie giggled as she joined Lorelai at the window with her soup and a spoon.  
  
"Mmm! Perfect for a snowy day." She winked at her friend.  
  
Sookie shook her head with a smile as she looked out the window at the pouring rain. "Wow, it's coming down pretty heavy, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah," Lorelai's face suddenly adopted a troubled look, as if just noticing how heavy the rain was for the first time. "Maybe I shouldn't have given Rory the car today; she shouldn't be driving in this weather."  
  
"She'll be fine." Sookie patted Lorelai's hand comfortingly as she stood up and made her way back to the stove. "You've got a great kid there, Lor. You're lucky."  
  
Lorelai tore her eyes away from the window for a moment as she smiled humbly at Sookie. "Yeah, I am lucky, aren't I?"  
  
She sighed and rested her chin on her hand as she turned back to the window, the same smile still playing on her lips.  
  
"Lorelai!!!" Michel barged into the kitchen moments later, disrupting the comfortable silence.  
  
"What is it, Michel?" Lorelai sighed exasperatingly.  
  
"Someone is on the phone and wants to speak to you." He said bluntly as he walked out, scowling. "Crazy people."  
  
Lorelai gave Sookie a funny look as she made her way into the lobby to answer the phone.  
  
"Hello?" she cautiously asked.  
  
"Lorelai?! It's Paris. Where on earth is Rory?!" A worked up voice rang through the phone, causing Lorelai to pull away from the phone for a moment. "Out of all days, she chooses today, the day of our debate, to get sick. How can she do this to me?! We're going to have to forfeit the debate if she isn't here! And I am NOT going to forfeit a debate! I refuse!"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, hold on for just one sec." Lorelai tried to calm Paris down. What was she on about? Rory wasn't sick. "Rory's not home sick, she left to go to school ages ago; she should be there by now."  
  
"She should have been here over an hour ago!" Paris yelled down the phone.  
  
Over an hour?! Lorelai looked down at her watch. 9:23. Didn't Rory leave the house early that morning for the debate? Then where, what.?  
  
Lorelai closed her eyes with dread as the rain outside suddenly sounded a lot louder than it had been a moment ago.  
  
"Lorelai? Are you there?" Paris' voice brought Lorelai back to reality.  
  
"Paris, I have to go. Tell Rory to ring me as soon as she gets there." Without waiting for a response, Lorelai put the phone down and made her way to the doorway of the kitchen.  
  
Sookie looked up to notice Lorelai leaning weakly on the doorframe.  
  
"She's not there yet." Lorelai whispered hoarsely. "Rory's not at school yet."  
  
"What do you mean she's not at school yet?" Sookie inquired carefully as she turned off the stove and made her way towards Lorelai. "Was that her on the phone?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head vigorously, her voice rising shakily as she felt panic slowly build up inside her. "No, Sookie, that wasn't Rory; that was Paris telling me Rory was over an hour late. Rory, who has a perfect attendance record, hasn't even showed up to her debate! Where on earth is she, dammit?!"  
  
"Okay, Lorelai, honey, calm down." Sookie desperately tried to stop Lorelai from panicking. "I'm sure she's fine; Rory's a smart girl, she probably pulled over to wait for the rain to stop, or there must have been lots of traffic, or."  
  
"Fine?! Fine?! Sookie, have you even looked outside this morning?!" Lorelai was beginning to lose control of herself before the sound of her cell phone rang through the kitchen.  
  
Lorelai silently prayed that it was Rory ringing her as she feverishly shuffled through her bag to retrieve her phone.  
  
"Rory?! Is that you?! Where are you?!" Lorelai immediately asked, though still unknowing of who was on the other line.  
  
"Miss Gilmore?" A confused, unfamiliar voice sounded through the phone.  
  
"Yes, who's this?" Lorelai could feel her heart beating heavily through her chest as she gripped the phone tighter.  
  
"Miss Gilmore, I am from Hartford Memorial Hospital, I am ringing to inform you of an accident on the highway going into Hartford this morning just after 8am involving a Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, who according to our records is your daughter. I have not been told about her condition yet; she was brought in just a couple of minutes ago and is currently in our care here."  
  
"No," Lorelai whispered, feeling as if each word the person on the other line said was drumming painfully into her head.  
  
Rory, her baby girl, in a car accident? In the hospital? But.but just this morning she was sitting with Lorelai in the kitchen, getting ready for the day as they joked around together about Lorelai's snow-rain; and now.now.  
  
"You're lying," Lorelai said in a voice so sullen and quiet that the person on the other line could hardly hear her.  
  
"Miss Gilmore, I'm sorry, but." the voice began again; but Lorelai heard nothing more as she closed her cell phone and mechanically put it back into her bag.  
  
"Lorelai?" Sookie began, frightened by her friend's sudden quietness and blank stare. "Do you want me to ring Jackson, he can get the car, and."  
  
"I-I have to go," Lorelai stated more like a question, appearing to have heard nothing of what Sookie had just said as she grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the kitchen.  
  
Lorelai stopped at the sheltered porch outside the inn, breathing heavily as she frantically rummaged through her bag in search of the keys to the jeep.  
  
After a few unsuccessful moments of searching, Lorelai began to mentally berate herself as she remembered what had happened that morning. She had given Rory the jeep, and Rory had driven to school, but then.  
  
Lorelai shook her head, trying not to think about that. What's done was done, and right now her daughter needed her mom by her side; and that was just what Rory was going to get.  
  
Lorelai sighed in helpless frustration as she looked about herself despairingly. She had no car; and hence no means of getting to the hospital.to Rory.  
  
Lorelai suddenly felt an unexplainable urge to be moving, to be on the run. Her daughter was in a car accident and was in the hospital, yet she found herself standing still on the porch of the inn. In all the movies and books, people in her case would be sprinting out to their car, which was conveniently placed just metres away from when they heard the news; and they would be at the hospital in just a matter of five minutes.  
  
But here Lorelai was, standing helplessly in front of the inn, as if waiting to suddenly appear by her daughter just as they did in the movies. But no magic happened, and she was still standing, with no car and her daughter in a hospital more than half an hour drive away.  
  
Lorelai drew in a shaky breath and took a moment to compose herself as she felt a tear prick her eye. She couldn't cry; she had to stay strong. And besides, Rory was going to be okay.  
  
Wasn't she?  
  
"Oh my God," Lorelai muttered under her breath.  
  
Without another moment's hesitation, Lorelai ran out into the pouring rain and sped across the front lawn of the inn and onto the main streets of Stars Hollow. The heavy rain continued to pound upon her ruthlessly, as if reminding her of the probable cause of her daughter's accident.  
  
Lorelai was oblivious to the stares she received from onlookers as she continued to run, dodging everything from people, stalls and even poles; and she didn't stop till she reached her destination.  
  
"Luke!!!" she called as she entered the diner, which was slowly emptying from the busy breakfast rush. "Luke!!!"  
  
Luke felt his stomach drop as he looked up from the countertop he was wiping. Lorelai was standing at the door of the diner, soaked from the rain, her pale face showing a mixture of emotions varying from anguish, grief, panic to shock.  
  
"Lorelai?" Luke cautiously made his way towards her. "Lorelai, what's wrong?"  
  
Lorelai finally turned towards Luke, her large, frightened, blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.  
  
"Luke," she breathed shakily.  
  
"Okay, everybody out, now! Don't argue, just go." He called over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Lorelai, who was now trembling violently. Except he wasn't so sure that it was from the cold.  
  
"Come on, I'll make you some coffee," Luke awkwardly offered as the last of the customers filed out.  
  
Much to his surprise, Lorelai shook her head vigorously, spraying water everywhere from her wet hair.  
  
"Hospital," she managed to choke out. "Rain.accident.no car."  
  
"What?! Accident?! How bad?! Who." Luke gaped as he tried to put some pieces from Lorelai's broken speech together, but let his last question trail as he came to a startling realization that chilled him to the bone as he realized what the answer was, and who was in the accident.  
  
"Oh, God, Rory.my little girl," Lorelai whispered, confirming his fears as she collapsed into his open arms, the tears she had fought so hard to keep back finally setting free as her body racked with sobs.  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
".yes, thank you, Jim; and now for the latest traffic on our roads this rainy Monday morning, we urge all drivers going into Hartford to be particularly careful near the end of the highway after a serious accident there this morning. Ambulance crews have left the scene but there is still much wreckage to be cleared up and."  
  
Luke jumped, startled, as Lorelai suddenly lunged forward in her seat and roughly turned the radio off, an unreadable expression on her face.  
  
"Drive faster." She whispered as she sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
Luke nodded silently as he took a brief sideways glance towards her. For a moment Luke considered turning left at the next set of lights and avoiding the highway, in case Lorelai caught sight of anything at the site of Rory's accident. But he was well aware that Lorelai knew the route into Hartford like the back of her hand; there was no way he could get away with it unnoticed.  
  
"Lorelai?" he broke the heavy silence, receiving a small murmur of acknowledgement from Lorelai. "How about I turn left at the next set of lights; we can, uh, you know, avoid any traffic there might be on the highway."  
  
"No. It's the fastest way there, traffic or no traffic." Lorelai shook her head immediately, "And I know you're worried about me seeing anything, but that's not important right now. I just want to reach Rory and get some kind of reassurance that she's okay."  
  
Luke nodded pensively as Lorelai went back to her blank stare out the window, her tears having already run dry.  
  
After fifteen minutes, the heavy rain had finally succumbed to a slight drizzle as they neared Hartford; yet the traffic was slowly getting worse as they progressed down the highway, and Luke suddenly regretted listening to Lorelai's requests for him to continue down the highway. He should have been protecting her, not agreeing to have her exposed to something like that.  
  
But it was never too late.  
  
Luke gave a frustrated sigh as he approached the next exit and turned into it, driving away from the highway with a sudden sense of urgency that baffled Lorelai.  
  
"Too much traffic," he muttered to Lorelai as he sped down the road, weaving in and out of the other cars skillfully as he tried to ignore the cold, churning feeling in his stomach brought on by his sudden panic and fear that he was desperately trying to hide from Lorelai.  
  
Luke had never been as thankful for anything as he was for his decision to leave the highway, and he just prayed that Lorelai didn't catch any glimpse of the almost unrecognizable jeep at a tree he had seen out of the corner of his eye as he turned into the exit.  
  
~~*+*~~  
  
Phew! Good 'ol Luke, protecting the girls. :p Next chapter: at the hospital.what exactly happened to Rory? Will she be okay? It should be up soon, in the meantime please review, and as usual, any ideas, suggestions, constructive criticism are all welcome :p  
  
Keep smiling! -Luv Sleeping Star  
  
Review button just here (hint hint wink wink nudge nudge) | | | | | | | | | \/ 


	3. Only Thing Against us now, is Time

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and unfortunately, didn't even write the first THREE chapters.  
  
The song is 'Could It Be Any Harder' and it's by The Calling.  
  
Chapter Three: ONLY THING AGAINST US NOW IS TIME ~~*+*~~ Lorelai barged through the emergency room doors and strode quickly and purposefully towards the front desk, Luke trailing close behind her. "Hi, um, someone just rang me and told me my daughter was here, she was in some kind of car accident; where can I find her, please?" Lorelai managed to stutter, hardly conscious of herself talking. Her words felt like a distant echo from another time, and almost sounded as if they were coming from another person. "Name?" the woman asked as she reached for a stack of files beside her. "Rory. Rory Gilmore." Lorelai replied hastily. "Rory Gilmore." the woman repeated as she searched through the files, a frown on her face. "We don't appear to have a Rory Gilmore here." Lorelai closed her eyes as she started to drum her fingers on the desk. Maybe this was all a mistake, or some kind of sick joke; maybe Rory wasn't even here, but she was at school at that very moment, debating alongside Paris; maybe. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore? Does that ring any bells?" the woman suddenly asked. Maybe not. Lorelai opened her eyes and stared at the woman, the sick feeling in her stomach returning. "Yes, that's her." Luke suddenly spoke up from behind her as he sensed Lorelai tense up at the name. "Oookay, and what relationship do you have with her?" the woman nodded as she separated a single file from the rest. "I'm her mother," Lorelai promptly replied, sounding almost agitated as her voice began to rise slightly. "Now will someone please take me to her?!" "I'm very sorry, ma'am, but we cannot take you in to see your daughter just right." she shook her head before Lorelai cut her off. "No! I don't want to hear it! I just want someone to take me to my daughter! I need to see her!" Lorelai frustratedly hit her fist on the table, hardly aware of her shoulders shaking and the helpless tears streaming down her cheeks as she began to cry again. "Lorelai." Luke pleaded quietly as he stepped closer and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That would be quite impossible right now, miss." The woman, clearly experienced with this sort of behavior from families and friends of patients, spoke in a steady, collected tone. Lorelai closed her eyes and took a deep breath in as she tried to stop her tears and, most importantly, calm herself down. "And why would that be?" "Because your daughter is still in surgery," the woman replied frankly. Lorelai opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Surgery? Why was Rory in surgery?! The silence between the trio, who, just a moment ago, were making the loudest noise and riot in the emergency room, was overwhelming. Luke, uncertain of what to do next, stood uncomfortably behind Lorelai, while even the woman at the counter seemed almost remorseful of the way she had blurted the words out. A mention of surgery obviously wasn't something the girl's mother had expected. The moment of heavy, deafening silence between them seemed to go on for eternity for Lorelai, and she felt as if she was stuck in the moment with no way out; and it was in the silence that her thoughts were loudest. Terrifying images raced through her mind as her confusion grew. She felt stupid and naïve for even contemplating the scenario of coming to the hospital to find Rory waiting for her without so much as a small bump on the head and only in need of a small check-up; ready to go home in no more than half an hour. Yet she had led herself to believe that that would be the case.after all, she had thought, this is Rory; and nothing can ever happen to Rory. But now, the sudden reality-check was taking its toll as it crashed down on her. Rory was no longer invincible.she was now more vulnerable than she had ever been in Lorelai's eyes, and this frightened Lorelai more than she could have ever imagined. Because now, anything was possible. "H-how is she?" Lorelai could hardly manage to get the words out. "I'm sorry, ma'am; no-one has told me, I don't know anything." The woman at the desk shrugged impotently. "Well, then, may I please speak to someone who does?" Lorelai eyes had an unnatural, almost maddening gleam in her eye as she leant dangerously on the counter. The woman smiled sweetly at Lorelai. "Well how about I try to get a hold of one of Lorelai's doctors." "Rory." Lorelai cut her off quietly. "We call her Rory." "Rory's doctors," the woman corrected herself as she pulled out a bundle of papers from the file, "and in the meantime, if you could just fill out some of this paperwork for the hospital." "O-okay. Thank you." Lorelai stuttered distantly as the woman passed her some papers and a pen over the desk; but the papers did not remain in Lorelai's hands for long as they slowly slipped through her trembling fingers and fluttered to the ground messily because of the tremor in her hands. Lorelai brought a hand up to her head frustratedly as she bent down to retrieve them, apologizing profusely. No more than a second later, a familiar hand - the same hand that had served her and Rory coffee and fed them for the past 16 years - grasped hers. Lorelai slowly brought her eyes up to meet Luke's, who was kneeling down beside her. "Why don't you go and take a seat for a second, I'll take care of this." He whispered soothingly. Lorelai nodded numbly as she gradually stood up, brushing her jeans off with her hands as she stood awkwardly on the spot before finally residing in one of the chairs, letting her head fall in her hands. Luke's face fell as he watched her from the counter. Why her? Why Rory? They didn't deserve this kind of pain.no-one did. Sighing dejectedly, he turned away from the heartbreaking image for a moment as he addressed the woman at the counter, holding the papers out to her. "If you could just give her a moment, maybe she could do them a little later." he shrugged uncomfortably as he turned to walk towards Lorelai. "Sir? Maybe.maybe if you could possibly do them for her, they're very important, we need them right away." The woman called after him. "It's just general information: name, date of birth.just things like that." Luke froze, wringing his baseball cap in his hands. He wasn't even related to Rory, how could he fill out a whole heap of papers for her on her mother's behalf? He was about to explain the situation to the woman behind the desk before he caught another glimpse of Lorelai slumped on the chair. But then again, it wasn't as if he didn't know Rory's name or birthday was it? "Okay.that-that's fine. I'll do it for her." He replied nonchalantly as he reached for the pen and set to work filling out the forms. Behind him, Lorelai's sobs continued to echo through the lonely hospital halls; bouncing off the walls and chilling anyone in earshot of the helpless mother crying, and praying, for her daughter.her everything. ~*~ You left me with goodbye and open arms A cut so deep I don't deserve You were always invincible in my eyes The only thing against us now is time ~*~ Minutes turned into hours as the hands of the clock continued to turn ruthlessly. Luke and Lorelai sat on the hard hospital chairs, Lorelai nursing a full cup of coffee she still could not bring herself to drink. Through the past two and a half hours she had gone from sobbing quietly, to sitting blankly, to pacing the corridors, to abusing the nurse at the front counter, to crying hysterically and, now, staring distantly at a wall on the other side of the room. And through all that time Luke knew he could do nothing to help ease her pain. He knew that the only thing that could help Lorelai now was if Rory came waltzing through the doors grinning, asking her mum if they could go home yet; but he had a feeling that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Both adults looked up as a doctor entered the room and strode over to the counter, where he began talking to the nurse. Lorelai was on her feet within seconds. "Hi, um, hi, I need your help, do you." Lorelai stumbled over to the counter as she addressed the doctor. The doctor turned to face Lorelai, smiling warmly. Even with the young girl's injuries, he could still see the resemblance between the two and knew almost immediately who he was dealing with. "Ah, I'm assuming you're young Rory's mother?" he asked as he shook Lorelai's limp hand firmly. "Dr. Stevens.I was just working with your daughter in the operating room." "Oh, thank God.how is she?!" Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally going to tell her something. The doctor's face adopted a troubled look as he stared hard at Lorelai. "Why don't you follow me to my office, and we can discuss this inside." Lorelai nodded distractedly as she turned and motioned for Luke to join her as they both followed the doctor closely down the winding corridors. "Please, take a seat," the doctor welcomed them into the small office as he sat behind the desk, folding his hands in front of him. "Now I understand that as a parent, your head is probably reeling with unanswered questions by this point in time; but I'm asking you to hold them for just a moment while I explain some things." Lorelai stopped herself from bombarding the doctor with questions for a moment as she agitatedly sat forward in her seat, nodding vigorously. The sooner, the better.  
The doctor hesitated uncomfortably for a moment before taking a deep breath and talking again. "Well from what I was able to gather from the police who were actually there at the scene, the accident was mainly caused by the rainy conditions. The other car involved was a red truck, which slammed into your daughter's car, sending it sliding along the slippery roads easily. We're lucky it didn't come in contact with any other cars." "And what about." Lorelai whispered as she clutched Luke's elbow tightly. "Rory?" the doctor smiled slightly through his shadowed expression. "Let me tell you, she's a fighter, that one. I was in there the whole time, and we almost lost her a couple of times; but she seemed pretty determined to come through in the end." Lorelai felt like she was going to throw up. They almost lost her? Almost lost her little girl?! "So how is she?" Luke cut in, tired of the doctor's small talk. He knew every word coming out of the doctor's mouth was killing Lorelai. The doctor sighed and pursed his lips, his expression turning grave as he looked them in the eye. "She's in pretty bad shape." He told them honestly. "Some of her injuries include three broken ribs and a punctured left lung from the impact of the steering wheel. She's also broken her left arm in two places and her knees may be a problem later on; but that's not our biggest worry right now." Lorelai stifled a horrified gasp as she felt tears gather behind her eyes. There was more? How could it get any worse than this?! "She's lost a lot of blood, and has some severe head trauma, which could pose some huge threats." The doctor continued matter-of-factly. "What kind of threats?" Lorelai wasn't even aware of whether it was her or Luke who had muttered those words as she snapped back into the clouded reality surrounding her. "Well, you see the thing is.Rory slipped into a coma while we were working on her," the doctor stated quietly. "Now we don't know when she'll wake up.or if she even will. We have moved her to the Intensive Care Unit where she can be monitored 24 hours, and we have her on a respirator and we are doing all we can to help her make it through; but we still can't promise any." "Are you saying," Lorelai interrupted him as she choked back a sob. "Are you saying that my daughter might not even make it?!" "I told you; we're doing all we can." he shrugged helplessly. "Obviously not enough! What kind of doctor are you if you can't even keep my daughter alive?! You're supposed to be saving her life!" Lorelai jumped out of her chair, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Lorelai." Luke tried to calm her down. "How about we go see her, hmm?" Lorelai nodded through her tears, hardly able to talk. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare that just kept getting worse as time wore on; and now, she could lose her daughter. "So I'm assuming we're all of immediate relations here?" the doctor spoke up. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Lorelai beat him to it. "Yes; we're her parents." "Okay then, if you would both just like to come this way." The doctor brushed past them. Lorelai and Luke were silent as they followed the doctor down the hospital halls. Everything was so white, cold, sterile.so unwelcoming. Lorelai involuntarily shuddered as she concentrated on leading her feet down the corridor. One step, two steps, three.left, right, left, right. She felt so detached from the world around her. On the outside she was hardly registering what was going on, moving and talking automatically, as if she was nothing but a puppet being pulled into action by another person. And on the inside, she felt nothing but numbness, which was slowly being eaten away by an overwhelming feeling of emptiness as her mind slowly recognized that something was seriously wrong. But there was nothing, no matter how large or how small, that could add up to the reality check that hit Lorelai as she stood at the door of the Intensive Care Unit, her eyes skimming desperately over the beds until they found her daughter. Lorelai could not find any breath in her to even gasp with the horror of what was happening as she stared at Rory from afar. She was blind to everything but her daughter's battered face lying against the pillow, her pale, snow-white complexion bringing out the dark, angry cuts and bruises that marred her distant, sleep-like expression that Lorelai had fondly watched over for countless nights over the years. She could hear nothing; feel nothing but the sound of the respirator breathing life into her little girl and the intruding, consistent beeping of the heart monitor. It was overpowering in her ears, dominating the ragged sound of the respirator as it grew louder to such an extent that for a terrifying, fleeting second Lorelai thought the respirator had stopped completely. She felt rooted to the spot as a crushing sense of heaviness drifted into her feet and spread upwards through her body, turning all her insides to lead. The air around her suddenly felt so thick that Lorelai felt like she was being suffocated. A nurse walked past the group, blocking Lorelai's view of Rory for a split second; and before she knew what was doing, Lorelai had turned on her heel with a choked sob and pushed past Luke and the doctor as she rushed out into the safety of the hallways, afraid to have to face her daughter's still form upon the bed again. She stood in shock for a moment, clutching her stomach as she prepared herself to make a mad rush to the nearest bathroom across the hall; but nothing of the sort appeared necessary as she felt her knees buckle as she slid down the wall, silent, helpless tears flooding her face. "Lorelai.Lorelai, look at me." Disoriented, Lorelai brought her face up from her knees to acknowledge Luke, who was crouching in front of her on the ground, his concerned gaze piercing her heart sharply. "She's going to die," Lorelai mumbled quietly, her voice quivering. "No, she's not," Luke shook his head. "She'll be okay. She's okay." A few stray tears made their way back down Lorelai's face as she stared Luke square in the eye. "No, Luke," she said with an almost haunting edge to her voice. "Last night, in the diner.she was okay then. But this.this is not okay. You can't tell me she's okay. She's not okay." Lorelai repeated the three words over and over again until her voice eventually broke into sobs; and Luke could not think of anything to say or do but hold her trembling figure as she cried. ~*~ Could it be any harder to say goodbye, and without you; Could it be any harder to watch you go, to face what's true; If I only had one more day.. ~*~ (Look at the pretty review button. Isn't that a pretty review button? Ah, such a pretty review button!) 


	4. Breaking Down

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and unfortunately, didn't even write the first THREE chapters.  
  
A/N: Ah Hah! My first chapter! I hope it is as good as the first three, that Sleeping Star wrote!  
  
Chapter Four: Breaking Down  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Several hours later, Luke and Lorelai were sitting in Rory's room again. They were only allowed in for 5 minutes every half hour, and Luke was amazed that Lorelai still hadn't said a word since her break down in the corridor earlier.  
  
A nurse came in. Abby. Luke saw on her name tag. She smiled gently at Lorelai, who was sitting by Rory, clasping her hand as tightly as she could. 'Talk to her.' She urged, 'People in coma's often here what's being said to them. Sometimes it even helps them regain consciousness.'  
  
Lorelai looked up at her with watery eyes, and sniffed. 'Kay.' She murmured.  
  
Right then, Luke wished more than anything, that he could do something. just one thing to help Lorelai.  
  
Lorelai brushed some hair that was falling out form under the bandage on her head, away from Rory's check and smiled softly, 'Hey Ror.' She said, sniffing again, 'It's me. You've gotta wake up honey. Please.. Just wake up. and I promise. I'll do anything.' She gasped and struggled to stop the tears running down her face. 'Anything Rory. I'll do anything. Just wake up DAMN IT!' she screamed.  
  
She leapt out of her chair, and started hitting the wall and sopping, 'Just wake up! Oh god. please.'  
  
Luke got up, and pulled Lorelai to him, and just hugged her.  
  
Soon, they were shuffled back out into the sterile hallway, into cold hard seats again. Luke watched Lorelai stare at the wall, and was startled, when she suddenly jumped up and started rummaging through her purse. 'Lore?' he asked.  
  
She frowned, 'My parents. I have to call my parents.'  
  
Luke nodded, 'Want me to do it?' he said gently.  
  
Lorelai shook her head, tears still constantly running down her face, 'I can do it..'  
  
Luke nodded, 'Ok.'  
  
Lorelai dialed a number and held the phone to her ear. She sniffed, and then said softly, 'Mom?'  
  
Luke watched her, she was starting to sway. He sighed, she sounded like a lost child.  
  
'Mom.. Mommy. You've gotta come. An accident.' she said, struggling to make the words come out clearly.  
  
All of a sudden, she gasped, shrieked and broke down in tears, dropping her phone to the floor.  
  
Luke picked her up, and put her on her seat, before reaching for the mobile that was still spinning in a circle on the cold linoleum floor. 'Mrs Gilmore?' he said into it.  
  
'Yes?' said a worried voice.  
  
'Mrs Gilmore, this is Luke Danes. We're at Hartford Memorial..' he paused, 'There's been an accident.'  
  
'Rory?' she questioned, in her no nonsense tone of voice.  
  
Luke sighed, 'Yeah. She's hurt pretty bad Mrs Gilmore. You might want to get down here as soon as possible.'  
  
'We'll be right there.' Emily said. She paused, 'Is Lorelai alright?' she asked delicately.  
  
Luke shook his head, and sighed, 'I'd rather not say..' He looked at Lorelai and turned his back to her, 'In front of her. You'll see when you get down here.'  
  
Twenty minutes later, Emily and Richard were rushing down a hallway in the hospital.  
  
'Where are they!?!' Emily demanded to Richard.  
  
'I don't know dear.' Richard replied, trying to keep up with his wife, who looked like she was running the Boston Marathon. 'Slow down, and we'll ask some body.' He said, slightly gasping for breathe.  
  
At that moment, they rounded the corner to see Luke pacing and Lorelai curled up on a seat with her arms wrapped around her self.  
  
For the first time in her life, Emily walked over to her daughter, sat down and pulled her into a hug, without saying anything.  
  
Richard went over to Luke, and the two of the walked around the corner. 'How is she?' Richard asked.  
  
Luke shrugged, 'They took her into surgery.' he frowned, 'Broken ribs. fractured wrist in two places. her knee is cracked.' he paused, his eyes filling with tears. 'She's in a coma Richard.' He murmured, 'Her brain's swollen.' He paused, 'She's in ICU right now...'  
  
Richard nodded, his eyes filling with grief. 'I'll go and find a doctor.' He said quietly.  
  
Luke nodded and headed back over to Lorelai and Emily, and sat down.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lorelai spent five straight days behind Rory's bed before Luke had to bodily drag her back to his apartment, so that she could shower, eat something and catch up on some sleep.  
  
Lorelai woke up disorientated in a strange bed. She sat up and looked around. Luke's. She frowned and looked down, 'Hey, when did you get a new bed Luke?' she called out. 'It's big and. it's big! You expecting some lady visitors sexy?'  
  
Luke stuck his head around the corner of the bedroom door way and smiled gently at her, 'Welcome back sleepy head.'  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes, 'Yeah.well.' Suddenly, she frowned, as if just remembering everything that had happened. 'Oh.' she said quietly.  
  
Luke looked at her with a concerned look on his face. 'Want something to eat?' he asked.  
  
'Nah.' Lorelai replied, flopping back down on the bed. 'I need to go back to the hospital anyway.'  
  
Luke shook his head, 'Not tonight Lore.'  
  
She grimaced, 'Yes tonight Luke.'  
  
Luke shook his head again, 'No.' he stated, before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. 'Lore, you've been there for almost six days. You need to rest, eat and take of your self. I'll take you back in the morning.'  
  
Lorelai looked like she was going to cry, 'But Rory.. She can't be alone all night.'  
  
Luke nodded, 'Which is why Emily's staying with her.'  
  
Lorelai looked up at him, with shock evident on her face. 'But.. Emily?' he questioned.  
  
Luke nodded, 'You've been pretty out of it Lorelai. She and Richard have been there almost constantly this week..'  
  
Lorelai smiled slightly, 'So have you.' She murmured, leaning against his chest. 'You haven't left me once.'  
  
Luke shook his head, 'Not true..' He said, pausing as he unconsciously ran his fingers through her hair, 'I left to open the Diner yesterday morning.'  
  
Lorelai snorted, 'Yeah, but as I remember it, you were back within an hour.' She paused, and frowned and turned her head slightly to look up at him, 'Luke?'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
'Who's looking after the Diner?' Lorelai asked, with a troubled expression on her face. She smiled slightly, 'Taylor?'  
  
Luke went slightly red, 'Ummmm.'  
  
Lorelai started laughing, 'OMG! You got TAYLOR to look after the Diner?!!?'  
  
Luke nodded, 'Well yeah, Caesar can't do it by himself.' He paused, 'Lore, it doesn't matter. What matters is you, and Rory.'  
  
Lorelai looked up at him and smiled, 'Thank you Luke.' And she kissed him gently on his cheek, and pulled him into a hug, 'You don't know how much you mean to me.' She murmured.  
  
Luke smiled into her hair, 'I think I do. You mean the same to me.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Several Weeks Later...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Would you like a glass of water Lorelai?' Emily asked, reaching for the pitcher at Rory's bedside.  
  
'No.' Lorelai snapped.  
  
Emily sighed, 'Well there's no need to be rude.' She muttered.  
  
Lorelai looked at her mother with a piercing glare. 'There's every reason to be rude mom. My daughter is lying in this bed. She's been lying here for 3 weeks now, and she's still in a coma. So I think that that justifies me being rude, don't you?'  
  
She didn't even wait for an answer before continuing 'In fact, I'll be as damn well rude as I like. Because that's my baby...'  
  
'Lorelai.' Emily stated.  
  
Lorelai glared at her, 'Don't you 'Lorelai' me, mom.' Lorelai replied, 'Agh!' she said, standing up, 'I'm getting coffee.'  
  
'Lorelai.' Emily said again.  
  
Lorelai sighed, 'What?'  
  
'Um, Lorelai, look.' Emily said, with a look of shock on her face.  
  
Lorelai looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Rory's blue eyes staring at her. She gasped, 'Rory?!?!'  
  
Confusion filled the girls eyes, as she lay motionless on the bed, that she'd been in for almost a month.  
  
Emily stood up, 'I'm getting the doctor.' She said, rushing out of the room.  
  
Lorelai sat back down, with tears running down her face. 'It's ok sweetie.' She murmured, brushing Rory's hair off her face. 'It'll be fine.' She rested her head on the bed beside Rory, and in doing this, didn't see the immense look of confusion, bewilderment and fear in Rory's crystal blue eyes. 


End file.
